Many people now have various different communication devices at their disposal, such as, for example, so-called plain old telephone service (POTS) devices, mobile telephone devices, personal computers (PC) and hand-held computers. This variety of devices may complicate communications to the extent that, in order to communicate with a recipient party, an initiating party needs to know what devices the recipient party has, which of those devices is currently active and an address or location mechanism for each device. In other words, the initiating party needs to know about what is termed “the presence” of the recipient party.
Directories are available, particularly through the Internet, which provide contact details for individuals. However, the sheer number of these directories can be a problem, both from the point of view of data entry/maintenance and from the point of view of searching for a contact. Moreover, according to how widespread the contact details are to be disseminated and to whom they will be available, there may be a reluctance on the part of a contact to use a directory, or to use it to only a limited extent, because, for instance, of security concerns and the value which included details may have; for example, the addresses may be used for the purpose of compiling sales targetting lists. Allied to this is the fact that the contacts have no control over the use of details and whilst, on the one hand, they may wish to make them available in the interest of promoting communications, they may at the same time potentially expose themselves to unwanted contacts. This, as much as anything, is borne out of the fact that the contact has little if any control over existing communication routes, such as POTS or postal services. For such routes, there may be only two opposite extreme choices for the contact: either the valuable details are given out or they are withheld altogether. For example, not placing a telephone number in a telephone directory is an option, but legitimate initiating parties are then hampered from making contact. The purpose of a directory is undermined if it is not comprehensive and definitive. The problems associated with directories also apply to other instances in which someone may provide contact details, such as with a publication.